“Of course. She can’t wait to see you.”

“Will we be able to watch TV and play in Grandma’s yard? Does she have a swing? What about a slide?” Jack liked to ask a lot of questions. And apparently he already missed his things at home.

Sarah took the left onto Carmel Valley Road. Her stomach tied into a knot as they drew closer to Margaret’s home and six weeks of what was sure to be torment. “I’m sure you can watch TV and play in the yard, but I don’t know if there’s a swing. If I remember right, Grandma’s property backs up to a horse ranch, so maybe we’ll see some of the horses.” She thought fondly of the ranch she’d transformed after her horrible time growing up there. Her private getaway—that she never got away to because of work.

Still, it was there waiting for her when she needed it.

“I’ve never seen a horse.” Nick frowned, despite the excitement in his eyes.

“Maybe we’ll get to see lots of new things on this adventure.” She hoped with all her heart this trip would be good for the boys and not bring up sad memories.

Both boys went back to watching their tablets. She used the time to settle her heart and mind. She reminded herself that no matter what had happened between her and Sean, he had given her the greatest gifts in her life. Jack and Nick were her world and her greatest accomplishments.

She followed the GPS directions. It had been a while since she’d been to her mother-in-law’s home. A wedding gift from Margaret’s third husband. Custom built on six acres with a grove of trees surrounding it. Of course, husband number three hadn’t lasted long and Margaret retained the house in the divorce settlement. She said he loved that house and there was no way she was going to let him have it. After all, he owed her.

For what, Sarah didn’t know. It seemed he ended the marriage simply because he and Margaret didn’t have enough in common to hold it together when they bickered all the time.

At least he wasn’t as bad as her second husband, a workaholic who sometimes liked to drink a little too much and turned out to be a mean drunk. Sean had actually really liked him because he taught Sean a lot about business when Sean worked for him in the office during his high school summers. The guy also bribed Sean and Bridget with gifts so they’d forgive the epic shouting matches he had with Margaret.

Margaret had Sean and Bridget with her first husband, who had an affair when the kids were young and Margaret was trying to be a good wife and mother to two rambunctious little ones. Sean remembered his father fondly as the guy who showed up on weekends in expensive sports cars and lavished him with extravagant gifts and always had a beautiful woman in his life, though they never stayed long. His dad passed young, when Sean was in his first year at college. He died in a tragic boat fire while on a scuba diving trip.